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11 Jan 2012, 14:02

1

Though he had had success broadcasting his controversial radio program on highly regulated terrestrial airwaves, Howard Stern opted out of terrestrial broadcasting in favor of the less regulated satellite radio medium.

A)Though he had had- CORRECTB)Though he has had - HAS HAD IS WRONG C)Even though he had- EVEN = THOUGH (REDUNDANT)D)Having had- CHANGES THE MEANING E)Having achieved - CHANGES THE MEANING

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07 Jul 2012, 05:37

success broadcasting his controversial radio VS terrestrial broadcasting in favor of the less regulated satellite radio mediumthe contrast here is suitable for "even though"Experts guidance needed.
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07 Jul 2012, 08:55

1

Should it not be E ?Had had means something which happened in the past before another event which also happened in the past and then ended.where are when we use thee progressive tense it means that event or its after effects are still continuing, and success once achieved stays with you.so shouldn't it be having achieved ?

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07 Jul 2012, 09:06

3

Though there is nothing weird about it, this topic has a subtle pitfall in terms of meaning. A says that Howard had had success for some time in terrestrial one (and that the success stopped for a while) and then he chose to pursue the satellite thing. Otherwise, there is no need for past perfect tense.

However, this not the intension of the text. The actual meaning is that even as he was having success (an on -going affair) he chose to switch from terrestrial to satellite. Both were happening at the same time. Therefore, there is no need for a past perfect. A simple past tense, namely, ‘had’ is sufficient. I beg to differ from the official version A in favor of C
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The options narrow down to A and B. B has a tense error because the second part of the statement has no present tense. It has a past-tense "opted out..."

I was confused between A & E. This is what Manhattan has to say about (E)

"Having achieved" is an accepted alternative past perfect construction and thus is grammatically correct. However, the use of “having achieved” implies that Howard Stern “opted out of terrestrial broadcasting” as a result of “having achieved” success with terrestrial broadcasts. The logical meaning of the sentence is that he “opted out” despite his previous success, not because of it.

I think its weird because the original intent (or logical meaning) of the question is not quite clear. I saw it as a before and after sequence. Before: Having achieved...After: ...opted out of...

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The options narrow down to A and B. B has a tense error because the second part of the statement has no present tense. It has a past-tense "opted out..."

I was confused between A & E. This is what Manhattan has to say about (E)

"Having achieved" is an accepted alternative past perfect construction and thus is grammatically correct. However, the use of “having achieved” implies that Howard Stern “opted out of terrestrial broadcasting” as a result of “having achieved” success with terrestrial broadcasts. The logical meaning of the sentence is that he “opted out” despite his previous success, not because of it.

I think its weird because the original intent (or logical meaning) of the question is not quite clear. I saw it as a before and after sequence. Before: Having achieved...After: ...opted out of...

I thought it was a good point you brought up, so I checked up with a GMAT Verbal instructor and here is what she had to say:

The GMAT will never have a sentence that goes against the regular laws of nature without specifying it. When applied to this scenario, why would Howard Stern want to quit a profession that made him big? If he did wanna quit after getting big, then there needs to be something that tells the reader that.

For example, it's obvious that a successful war journalist continues covering more such risky and sometimes gory incidents rather than winning one award and quitting. An ace fighter-pilot, knowing the risks that come with the job, would love to continue doing the same thing..

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The options narrow down to A and B. B has a tense error because the second part of the statement has no present tense. It has a past-tense "opted out..."

I was confused between A & E. This is what Manhattan has to say about (E)

"Having achieved" is an accepted alternative past perfect construction and thus is grammatically correct. However, the use of “having achieved” implies that Howard Stern “opted out of terrestrial broadcasting” as a result of “having achieved” success with terrestrial broadcasts. The logical meaning of the sentence is that he “opted out” despite his previous success, not because of it.

I think its weird because the original intent (or logical meaning) of the question is not quite clear. I saw it as a before and after sequence. Before: Having achieved...After: ...opted out of...

I thought it was a good point you brought up, so I checked up with a GMAT Verbal instructor and here is what she had to say:

The GMAT will never have a sentence that goes against the regular laws of nature without specifying it. When applied to this scenario, why would Howard Stern want to quit a profession that made him big? If he did wanna quit after getting big, then there needs to be something that tells the reader that.

For example, it's obvious that a successful war journalist continues covering more such risky and sometimes gory incidents rather than winning one award and quitting. An ace fighter-pilot, knowing the risks that come with the job, would love to continue doing the same thing..

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11 Jul 2012, 04:25

It seems to me that a number of these answers are grammatically acceptable. However, it is also important to focus on the meaning.

A. is grammatical usage of the past perfect. It is also a logical description of Howard Stern's actions. i.e. he “opted out” despite his previous success.B. is incorrect usage of the present perfect (it doesn't agree with "opted").C. is grammatical usage of the simple past. It is not logical because the "Even though" statement doesn't make sense if the success didn't precede the opting out, and using two simple pasts implies that the events happened concurrently. D. is grammatical usage of a perfect participle. It is not logical because it implies that Howard Stern moved away from terrestrial broadcasting as a result of his success.E. is essentially the same as D.

It might be easier to understand with simpler sentences using the same tenses and constructions:(A) Though he had eaten two large pizzas, Howard ordered a hamburger.(B) Though he has eaten two large pizzas, Howard ordered a hamburger.(C) Even though he ate two large pizzas, Howard ordered a hamburger.(D) Having eaten two large pizzas, Howard ordered a hamburger. (Using this construction you might more naturally expect the second half of the sentence to be "Howard threw up.")(E) Having consumed two large pizzas, Howard ordered a hamburger. (As above).

Re: Though he had had success broadcasting his controversial
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27 Jul 2012, 14:32

This is how I understand "had" vs "had had". Correct me if I am wrong.

1) 'had'

Though he had success broadcasting his controversial radio program on highly regulated terrestrial airwaves, Howard Stern opted out of terrestrial broadcasting in favor of the less regulated satellite radio medium.

Timeline: <------this part of the time when he stopped having success in the past----------->||<-----------opted out---------->||<--present->

2) 'had had'

Though he had had success broadcasting his controversial radio program on highly regulated terrestrial airwaves, Howard Stern opted out of terrestrial broadcasting in favor of the less regulated satellite radio medium.

Timeline: <---success broadcasting-->||<---this part of the time when he stopped having success in the past--->||<---opted out-->||<--present-->

Re: Though he had had success broadcasting his controversial
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14 Dec 2013, 03:22

bipolarbear wrote:

Though he had had success broadcasting his controversial radio program on highly regulated terrestrial airwaves, Howard Stern opted out of terrestrial broadcasting in favor of the less regulated satellite radio medium.

(A) Though he had had(B) Though he has had(C) Even though he had(D) Having had(E) Having achieved

Nice question.

I answered using the following method:

Howard Stern opted is past. Therefore in the first part of the sentence you need to have "Had + Verb".

The only answer here is A that provides a strange (for non-native speakers) but correct "had had"

Easy when you get used to it, but need lot of work to master those kind of GMAT english requirements!

Re: Though he had had success broadcasting his controversial
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27 May 2016, 00:38

bipolarbear wrote:

Though he had had success broadcasting his controversial radio program on highly regulated terrestrial airwaves, Howard Stern opted out of terrestrial broadcasting in favor of the less regulated satellite radio medium.

(A) Though he had had(B) Though he has had(C) Even though he had(D) Having had(E) Having achieved

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14 May 2017, 16:53

bipolarbear wrote:

Though he had had success broadcasting his controversial radio program on highly regulated terrestrial airwaves, Howard Stern opted out of terrestrial broadcasting in favor of the less regulated satellite radio medium.

(A) Though he had had(B) Though he has had(C) Even though he had(D) Having had(E) Having achieved

From Ron (Manhattan)

One use of "had" is the PAST TENSE of the infinitive "TO HAVE". (let's call this "had1") This is like other past tenses, such as "was", "chose", "ran", "threw".

Another is the PAST PARTICIPLE of the infinitive "TO HAVE". (let's call this "had2") This is like other past participles, such as "been", "chosen", "run", "thrown".

The other is as a HELPING VERB that appears in the PAST PERFECT. (let's call this "had3")

Here's how "to have" is conjugated:

Present: He has the flu. Past: He had the flu. (this is had1) Past Perfect: He had had the flu. (this is had3 had2)

Analogy: Some other random verb, such as "to choose"

Present: He chooses the steak entree. Past: He chose the steak entree. Past Perfect: He had chosen the steak entree. (this is had3)

The difficulty here lies in not confusing the different "had"s.

The second clause says that he "OPTED OUT". This mean that he QUIT terrestrial broadcasting.

Given that he had previously enjoyed success, this is indeed a contrast.
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Re: Though he had had success broadcasting his controversial
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19 Sep 2017, 04:53

1

OE :

The original sentence correctly uses the past perfect form “had had” to establish a chronology of twopast events; it is clear that Howard Stern “had had success” (past perfect) prior to the moment in thepast when he “opted out” (simple past) of terrestrial broadcasting.

(A) CORRECT. This choice is correct as it repeats the original sentence.

(B) The present perfect form “has had” incorrectly implies that Howard Stern continues to havesuccess broadcasting on terrestrial airwaves, even after opting out of terrestrial broadcasting. Thepresent perfect form is used for events that began in the past and continue into the present; the pastperfect "had had" must be used to indicate the earliest of multiple past events.

(C) The use of the simple past “he had” fails to establish a time-ordering of the two past events; thepast perfect form of the verb is needed to indicate that Howard Stern “had had success” (past perfect)prior to the moment in the past when he “opted out” (simple past) of terrestrial broadcasting. Also,“even though” is unnecessarily wordy. The more concise “though” is preferred.

(D) "Having had" is an accepted alternative past perfect construction and thus is grammaticallycorrect. However, the use of “having had” implies that Howard Stern “opted out of terrestrialbroadcasting” as a result of “having had” success with terrestrial broadcasts. The logical meaning ofthe sentence is that he “opted out” despite his previous success, not because of it.GOOD meaning change twist.

(E) "Having achieved" is an accepted alternative past perfect construction and thus is grammaticallycorrect. However, the use of “having achieved” implies that Howard Stern “opted out of terrestrialbroadcasting” as a result of “having achieved” success with terrestrial broadcasts. The logical meaningof the sentence is that he “opted out” despite his previous success, not because of it.GOOD meaning change twist.
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Re: Though he had had success broadcasting his controversial
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09 Oct 2018, 13:12

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